1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fishing reels and, in particular, to an improved drag mechanism having an additional drag position, just above free spool, and identified herein as axe2x80x9cstripxe2x80x9d drag position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The lever drag reel, such as that shown in section in prior art FIG. 1, is well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,644 shows the classic layout of this type of reel. There are disadvantages related to the drag application mechanism of this type of reel.
In this style reel, a lever is used to vary the amount of drag force that is applied to the fishing line. When this lever is moved, i.e., backed off, to its rearmost position, no drag is exerted on the spool. This condition is called xe2x80x9cfree spoolxe2x80x9d. In this position, line can be freely played out from the spool of the reel.
At another position, approximately two-thirds of the full forward swing of the lever, is a moveable stop. This position is called xe2x80x9cstrikexe2x80x9d position.
The position at full lever travel is called xe2x80x9cfullxe2x80x9d.
The drag lever is keyed to a cam member. This member translates the rotational motion of the lever into axial motion. When the drag lever is moved out of the free spool position, axial motion caused by the cam removes any clearance between the drag members. Once this clearance is removed, additional axial motion (due to the cam) directly compresses a set of clutch springs.
The lever drag reel is generally designed to fish different weight fishing lines. When the strength of the line being used is increased, it is possible to apply more drag than with a lighter line. Therefore, a means to adjust the drag force at a given position of the drag lever, namely the strike position, is desirable. Nearly all lever drag reels have such a means; usually through a screw member that varies the clearance between the drag members.
The classic lever drag reel is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,644. In FIG. 1 of that patent, the drag lever 75 and the preset adjusting knob 92 are shown. In FIG. 6, the cam 68, the cam follower 61, and the preset screw 63 are shown. FIG. 2 shows the drag members 37 and 42, the clearance between the drag members, and the drag springs 40. In FIG. 3, the threaded portion of the preset adjustment 62 is shown. This reel functions as described previously.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,432 shows the design of a typical cam in a lever drag reel. See FIG. 5. The free spool position 69 is a detent. As the cam is rotated with respect to the cam follower 61 and 65, an initial rapid axial motion is created due to this detent. It can be seen that the slope of the rest of the cam 70 is much less after this rapid initial rise. U.S. Pat. No. 3,478,979 also shows this cam design (FIG. 5, 63-66).
On most lever drag reels, the cam has a small section with a large slope. This section is positioned just after the free spool position. This small section can account for up to two-thirds of the entire travel of the cam. As a consequence, a detent is formed in the cam. This section is used to quickly remove the clearance between the drag members, resulting in drag being available in the shortest amount of drag lever travel. But there is a down side to this design. As the desired drag at the strike position is increased, the difference in drag between free spool and just out free spool increases. The result is a tendency for the drag lever to suddenly jump into the free spool position when the drag lever is moved to reduce drag. This can have dire consequences. If the fisherman is actively engaged with a large fish, and the reel jumps into free spool, a massive backlash will result, usually tangling the line, and then at best breaking off the line, or at worst, pulling the fishing outfit from the angler and over the side of the boat.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,146,966 shows an alternative lever drag reel design. In FIG. 11, a cam profile with an additional step/detent is shown. As is described in this patent, free spool occurs when the cam follower is in position 57, at the bottom of the cam profile. In order to get into the additional step, the reel must be taken into free spool, and then into the xe2x80x9cstripxe2x80x9d position. This does nothing to prevent the occurrence of a backlash from the reel going from a drag producing position to a free spool. In fact, this design invites this very occurrence.
One alternative to this rapid jump is to use a cam that smoothly slopes from the free spool position to its maximum travel. The disadvantage of this design is that the user never knows precisely where the reel is going to go into free spool when he moves the drag lever. This is due to the nature of the preset systems used, which do nothing more than vary the amount of clearance between the drag members. Thus, when the user changes the position of the preset knob, and thereby changes the clearance between the drag members, the amount of drag lever travel necessary to remove this clearance will vary, resulting in this imprecise condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,741 (FIGS. 4, 30 and 31) shows an example of a cam with no jump; just a smooth transition to the free spool position.
Prior Art FIG. 1 shows a typical lever drag reel. In this reel design, there exists a side plate 101, which contains a cam mechanism 112. This cam is connected to a drag lever 113. The cam acts upon a cam follower 116, which contains a preset screw 117. A bearing 118 is radially supported in the side plate, axially supported by the preset screw. Within this bearing is journaled a pinion 119. This pinion is supported at the opposite end by an outer drive plate 107; which itself is supported by a bearing 120. On the pinion rides a spool 102, which is supported radially by two bearings 103 and 104. The left side spool bearing 104 is supported axially on one side by a shoulder 122 machined into the spool. It rides on a protrusion of the inner drive plate 108, which in turn is supported radially by the pinion, and axially by the left spool bearing 104. A clutch separation spring 109 is located between the inner and outer drive plates. Both drive plates are keyed in some form to the pinion such that any rotation of the pinion is transferred directly to the drive plates. A drag washer 111 is supported radially by pins 121 that are pressed into the flange of the spool, but is allowed to float axially on these pins. A shoulder machined into the spool axially supports the right side spool bearing 103. Between the right side spool bearing 103 and the pinion gear 125 resides the clutch springs 105.
The operation of the reel is as follows. When the drag lever 113 is moved from the free spool position, the cam is rotated by a like amount. The rotary motion is translated into axial motion by the cam and cam follower. The cam follower transfers this axial motion to the preset screw and then through the right side plate bearing 118. The bearing directly moves the pinion shaft 119 in the direction of the arrow AA. This axially motion is transferred through the clutch spring 109, through the spool by means of the right side spool bearing 103, to the left side spool bearing 104, to the inner drive plate 108. This axially motion will continue through all of these members until the clearance between the inner drive plate 108 and the drag washer 111, and the outer drive plate 107 and the drag washer 111, is removed. At this point, compression of the clutch springs 105 will start. The axial load created by compressing the clutch springs 105 is transferred through the right side spool bearing 103 to the left side spool bearing 104 to the inner drive plate 108. Thus, in the prior art, the length of travel which corresponds to the compression of the Belleville springs 105 would continue after other clearances were taken up.
As can be seen, all four bearings are loaded when the reel is in operation. Thus, this requires the spool bearings to be larger than otherwise necessary, so that they can handle the axial loads generated in the reel. Larger bearings tend to hamper the xe2x80x9cfreenessxe2x80x9d of free spool. They also add inertia to the rotating assembly.
When the reel is in free spool, the drag washer is free to move away from both drive plates. It self centers between the drag members. There are several disadvantages to this design. First, the drag washer will make noise when the spool is rotated. This is due to the necessary clearance between the pins in the spool and the holes in the drag washer. The second is the amount of contact area between the pins and the drag washer. Assuming six 0.188xe2x80x3 pins, and contact around half of the circumference of the pin (due to clearances), and a 0.094xe2x80x3 thick drag washer, there is only 0.166 square inches of contact, versus 2.72 square inches available if the drag washer was directly attached to the spool flange. This contact area is important to the transfer of heat from the drag washer to the spool. The greater the area, the cooler the drag washer will operate. This promotes better drag operation, and a more durable drag.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a more precise and predictable, adjustable drag means to prevent the problems as described of the prior art.
This invention seeks to prevent the above from happening by adding another position to the drag lever travel; which position is called the xe2x80x9cstripxe2x80x9d drag position; and which is positioned just above the free spool position. At this position, an additional detent is added, splitting the original steep cam rise into two sections. The result of this invention is a light drag setting before achieving free spool; thus preventing the operator from accidentally placing the drag lever into a free spool condition. This change, along with various and distinct internal designs, provides for a small difference in drag between the free spool position and at the xe2x80x9cstripxe2x80x9d drag position.
Thus, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of my invention, I have provided, in a fishing reel having a spool mounted for rotation about its axis and a drag means for imparting a drag on the rotation of said spool; said drag means comprising a cam means, a portion thereof being rotatable; said cam means having a working surface and a follower engaging said working surface to provide axial movement of a portion thereof upon rotation thereof within the reel to impart different degrees of drag on said spool; said working surface having portions thereof of different profiles; a first of said portions having a profile providing for a free spool condition imparting no drag to said spool; and a third of said portions having a profile providing for at least a full drag condition to said spool;
the improvement comprising: a second portion positioned between the first and third portions, and having a profile surface providing a strip drag condition which provides minimal drag on said spool, whereby when said cam means is moved from a position providing said third condition toward a position providing said first condition, the cam means will impart minimal drag to said spool in said second position before reaching said first position.
At this first position, free spool occurs. There are three critical clearances: that between the outer drive plate and the drag washer (Clearance A); the distance between the inner drive plate and the drag washer (Clearance B); and the third clearance which is the difference in the distance between the high speed gear surface on the pinion 119 and the right side plate bearing and the total height of the clutch springs (Clearance C). The configuration of the cam is dependent on these three clearances. It is important to note that initial adjustment of the preset system will not change the clearance between the drag members, but will remove Clearance C. Further adjustment of the preset system will then remove Clearance A, up to the point of contact between the outer drive plate and the drag washer, which will result in the loss of flee spool.
In particular embodiments, the configuration of the cam also depends on spring rates. Belleville clutch springs are the strongest. Clutch separation springs are much lighter and still lighter is a secondary clutch spring.